Hi (album)

Last updated

Hi
Texas - Hi.png
Studio album by
Texas
Released28 May 2021 (2021-05-28)
Recorded2020–2021
StudioVarious locations in Scotland, Wales and the United States [1]
Length38:44
Label BMG
Producer
Texas chronology
Jump on Board
(2017)		Hi
(2021)		 The Very Best of 1989–2023
(2023)
Singles from Hi
  1. "Hi"
    Released: 1 December 2020
  2. "Mr Haze"
    Released: 6 April 2021
  3. "Moonstar"
    Released: 3 May 2021
  4. "You Can Call Me"
    Released: 10 September 2021
  5. "Unbelievable"
    Released: 19 November 2021

Hi is the tenth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released on 28 May 2021 through BMG. Hi was originally intended to be based on "lost" outtakes from the recording sessions of their 1997 chart-topping White on Blonde album, but this was eventually shelved and ultimately led the band to create new material. [2]

Contents

Background and recording

During promotion for the album, lead singer Sharleen Spiteri stated: "Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming, you could say we were inspired by ourselves!" Other songs on the album include "Dark Fire", written with Richard Hawley, and "Look What You've Done", a duet between Spiteri and Clare Grogan of Altered Images.

The record also features the ballad "Unbelievable". Speaking about the recording of the track, Spiteri said: "We don't usually do ballads, but this one really stuck. The words are very intimate and personal while the music sounds really epic." [2]

Writing and inspiration

Several sonic elements are evident on Hi, including the "vintage R&B" track "Just Want to Be Liked", the country-inspired "Moonstar", "brawny guitar pop" on "Sound of My Voice" and "Italo-western decadence with a spicy hip-hop twist" on "Hi". "Mr. Haze" is a Motown-inspired track that samples and draws inspiration from Donna Summer's 1977 song "Love's Unkind". [3]

Collaborations

The release and recording of Hi sees the band collaborate again with artists that have previously collaborated with the band, including singer-actress Clare Grogan on "Look What You've Done" and the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and Ghostface Killah on "Hi".

Grogan's previously worked with McElhone when they shared time recording together during McElhone's time in the band Altered Images from 1979 to 1983.

Previously, Texas had collaborated with the Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man and RZA in 1997 on the "All Day Every Day" remix of their gold-selling White on Blonde single "Say What You Want", as well as performing the track at the 1998 BRIT Awards. [4]

Promotion and touring

To promote the release of the album, Spiteri appeared on various chat shows, including Saturday Morning with James Martin . The band announced a 27-date UK and Ireland tour across February and March 2022, commencing with two shows at Dublin's Olympia on 10 and 11 February and concluding at Stoke-On-Trent's Victoria Hall on 20 March. [2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Clash 7/10 [6]
i Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Uncut 7/10 [8]

Kate Solomon of i wrote that "Hi suggests a casual greeting, a meeting between two friends who may have drifted apart, and that is what the album feels like: falling into an easy routine with an old friend. The band built it on the foundations of old songs that hadn't made it on to White on Blonde , trading lines and themes with their selves of 24 years ago". [7]

Camryn Teder from the website Mxdwn called Hi "a funky, sultry '70s pop-inspired epic. With influences from soft-rock '80s guitar riffs and layered chord progressions over heartbroken lyrics, the result is a peek into a love of the past and Texas's influences in the industry. [...] Texas gradually and effortlessly introduces a multitude of genres in their new album Hi. With a relentless fearlessness toward sound creation and an unwillingness to drop in quality, Texas has provided another 14 gems to their hundreds-strong song collection." [9]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, Hi became the highest charting album for the band since The Hush in 1999, debuting at number one on the UK Independent Albums Chart [10] and number three on the official UK Albums Chart. [11] In their native Scotland, like their previous album Jump on Board, Hi reached number one on the Scottish Albums Chart. [12]

Elsewhere in Europe, Hi charted at number 10 on the French Albums Chart and number 32 in Germany. [13] [14]

Track listing

Standard version

  1. "Mr Haze" – 3:39
  2. "Hi" (with the Wu-Tang Clan) – 2:51
  3. "Just Want to Be Liked" – 3:00
  4. "Unbelievable" – 3:31
  5. "Moonstar" – 2:57
  6. "Dark Fire" – 2:21
  7. "Look What You've Done" – 3:11
  8. "Heaven Knows" – 3:43
  9. "You Can Call Me" – 3:10
  10. "Sound of My Voice" – 3:34
  11. "Falling" – 3:56
  12. "Hi" (single mix) – 2:51

Deluxe edition bonus tracks

  2. "Had a Hard Day" – 3:04
  3. "Had to Leave" – 3:17

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas (band)</span> Scottish alternative rock band

Texas is a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, founded in 1986 by Johnny McElhone, Ally McErlaine, and Sharleen Spiteri. Texas, despite their name, has no connection with the state of Texas USA. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. The band released their debut album Southside in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover", which was a top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many other European countries. Southside entered at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 88 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, and sold over two million copies worldwide. Despite the success of Southside, the follow-up albums Mothers Heaven (1991) and Ricks Road (1993) were less successful, peaking at number 32 and number 18 on the UK Albums Chart respectively, but achieved moderate success on various European markets.

<i>White on Blonde</i> 1997 studio album by Texas

White on Blonde is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Texas, released by Mercury Records on 3 February 1997. The album was the band's first number one in their native Scotland, and also reached number one in the United Kingdom, and would become their biggest seller internationally, selling in excess of four million copies worldwide. A major commercial success for the band, it has been certified 6× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of over 1.8 million copies, and has sold 1.65 million as of January 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharleen Spiteri</span> Scottish singer (born 1967)

Sharleen Eugene Spiteri is a Scottish singer–songwriter and guitarist who has a contralto vocal range, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Texas, who rose to prominence in 1989 with the release of their debut single "I Don't Want a Lover". Their debut album, Southside (1989) was a commercial success, selling over two million copies. Follow up albums were less successful, however, the release of their fourth album White on Blonde (1997) returned the band to prominence, spawning the internationally successful singles "Say What You Want", "Halo", "Black Eyed Boy" and "Put Your Arms Around Me". Their commercial success continued during the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, with singles "In Our Lifetime", "Summer Son", "In Demand" and "Inner Smile". Following the release of their seventh album Red Book (2005), the band began a hiatus. In 2013, Texas's worldwide album sales were counted at 40 million records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altered Images</span> Scottish new wave/post-punk band

Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 1983. Their hits include "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love".

<i>The Greatest Hits</i> (Texas album) 2000 greatest hits album by Texas

The Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Scottish rock band Texas, released on 23 October 2000. It was the band's first greatest hits album, featuring songs spanning their career from 1989 to 2000. Three new singles were also included: "In Demand", "Inner Smile" and "Guitar Song".

<i>Southside</i> (Texas album) 1989 studio album by Texas

Southside is the debut album by Scottish rock band Texas. It was released on 13 March 1989. It peaked at no. 3 in the UK Albums Chart and within three weeks of release was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. Worldwide, Southside has sold over 2 million copies.

<i>Mothers Heaven</i> 1991 studio album by Texas

Mothers Heaven is the second album from the Scottish rock band Texas. The album was released on 23 September 1991 by Mercury Records. The album peaked at no. 32 in the UK and spent 4 weeks on the charts.

<i>Ricks Road</i> 1993 studio album by Texas

Ricks Road is the third album by Scottish rock band Texas. The album was released on 1 November 1993 by Mercury Records. The album peaked at number 18 in the UK and spent two weeks on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in October 1997. In Australia, the album peaked at number 96 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

<i>The Hush</i> 1999 studio album by Texas

The Hush is the fifth album by Scottish rock band Texas. Released in May 1999 as the follow up to the previous studio album, White on Blonde (1997), the album went onto achieve similar international success than that of its predecessor. It debuted at number one in Scotland and the United Kingdom and spent a total of 43 weeks on the UK Album Chart. It has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. It performed strongly in a number of continental European album charts, reaching the top ten in France, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say What You Want</span> 1997 single by Texas

"Say What You Want" is a song by Scottish rock band Texas, written by band members Johnny McElhone and Sharleen Spiteri. It was the first single to be released from the group's fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997), and released via the bands record label Mercury Records.

<i>Red Book</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Texas

Red Book is the seventh album from Scottish rock band Texas. It was released on 7 November 2005 and entered the UK Albums Chart at #16. It is named after the little red book that singer Sharleen Spiteri used to write the album songs. The album yielded two UK Top Ten singles, "Getaway" and "Sleep" and the UK Top 20 single, "Can't Resist". Four of the album's tracks were co-written with Brian Higgins of Xenomania — "Can't Resist", "Cry", "Get Down Tonight" and "Bad Weather".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Eyed Boy</span> 1997 single by Texas

"Black Eyed Boy" is the third single from Scottish rock band Texas's fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997). The song was released on 28 July 1997 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Elsewhere, the song reached the top 50 in Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, Israel and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas discography</span>

The discography of Scottish pop rock band Texas contains 10 studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums and 45 singles. Their most successful single to date is "Say What You Want" (1997), which peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas. The band released their debut album Southside in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover", which was a worldwide success, charting at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and other high charting positions in Europe. Southside debuted at number three in the United Kingdom and number 88 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Despite the success of Southside, follow-up albums Mothers Heaven and Ricks Road were less successful in the UK.

<i>Melody</i> (Sharleen Spiteri album) 2008 studio album by Sharleen Spiteri

Melody is the debut solo album by Sharleen Spiteri, lead singer of the Scottish band Texas. It was released on 14 July 2008 and peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halo (Texas song)</span> 1997 single by Texas

"Halo" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released on 7 April 1997 as the second single from their fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997). The song was written by Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and guitarist Johnny McElhone and was produced by Texas and Mike Hedges. "Halo" debuted and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Charts. The music video, filmed in Hong Kong, features Spiteri and a Chinese woman acting as her "halo".

<i>The Conversation</i> (Texas album) 2013 studio album by Texas

The Conversation is the eighth album from Scottish rock band Texas. It was released on 20 May 2013. Tracks are written mainly by Sharleen Spiteri and Johnny McElhone, with Richard Hawley and Bernard Butler as collaborators. The Conversation is the group's first studio album of new material since Red Book in 2005. The title track "The Conversation" was released as the first single from the album in April 2013, followed by up-beat Pop Rock "Detroit City", both of which received a decent amount of UK airplay, including on BBC Radio 2's playlist.

<i>Texas 25</i> 2015 compilation album by Texas

Texas 25 is a compilation album by Scottish rock band Texas, released on 16 February 2015. The album was released to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary and features eight reworked Texas tracks along with four new songs. A 2-disc deluxe edition of the album was also released, with disc 1 featuring the same track listing as the standard version of the album and disc 2 including the original versions of 15 of the band's biggest hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Work It Out</span> 2017 single by Texas

"Let's Work It Out" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released in February 2017 as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Jump on Board (2017). The single was released via PIAS and BMG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi (Texas song)</span> 2020 single by Texas featuring Wu-Tang Clan

"Hi" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas featuring American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released as the lead single from their tenth studio album of the same name (2021). The track was written by Eddie Campbell, Robert Hodgens, Sharleen Spiteri, Johnny McElhone, Jack McElhone, Robert Diggs, and Dennis Cole and was produced by John McElhone and Angelica Bjornsson. The single was released in December 2020 through BMG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr Haze</span> 2021 single by Texas

"Mr Haze" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released in April 2021 as the second single from their tenth studio album Hi (2021). The song features a sample of Donna Summer's 1977 hit "Love's Unkind", and, as a result, Summer is credited as a co-writer.

References

  1. ↑ "Texas announce 10th studio album Hi". Music-News.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Texas announce new album Hi, share new single Mr Haze". Official Charts Company.
  3. ↑ "Texas Elevate Their Penchant for Musical Adventurism and Superior Songcraft with Ravishing 'Hi' | Album Review". Albumism.
  4. ↑ Clarke, Patrick (1 December 2020). "Texas reunite with Wu-Tang Clan for new single 'Hi'".
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hi - Texas | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. ↑ Murray, Robin (1 June 2021). "Texas – Hi | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. 1 2 Solomon, Kate (27 May 2021). "Texas's Sharleen Spiteri's smooth voice is a triumph on Hi". inews.co.uk . Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  8. ↑ Stounton, Jerry. "Texas: Hi". Uncut . Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Album Review: Texas – Hi". Mxdwn. 30 May 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Lescharts.com – Texas – Hi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Texas – Hi" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Texas – Hi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Texas – Hi" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Texas – Hi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Texas – Hi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  19. ↑ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2021" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
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